Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov continued his engagements on the African continent, arriving in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. With this visit, the minister completed the third leg of his tour after Ethiopia and Niger.
Lavrov is scheduled to hold a series of meetings in Mozambique with senior officials, primarily Foreign Minister Maria Lukash.
Defense cooperation on the agenda
Security cooperation features prominently in the talks between the two countries. During a meeting with Lukash in Moscow last July, Lavrov stated that Russia was ready to consider Mozambique's requests to strengthen its defense capacity.
In May of this year, Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council Alexander Venediktov announced that Moscow was ready to help equip the Mozambican armed forces with modern equipment.
Russian participation in energy projects
Another key topic of the talks is partnerships in the energy sector. The Mozambican Foreign Ministry had previously expressed interest in Russian companies' involvement in the country's gas extraction projects.
Mozambican President Daniel Chapo told RIA Novosti that Gazprom and Mozambique's National Hydrocarbons Company (ENH) could begin cooperating to develop projects in the African country.
Preparations for Russia-Africa summit
During the contacts in Maputo, preparations for the third Russia-Africa summit, scheduled for October in Moscow, are also expected to be discussed.
Lavrov last visited the Mozambican capital at the end of May 2023.